U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin will tour hurricane-ravaged New Orleans and participate in a Senate committee field hearing on the situation during the next few days.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing in New Orleans Monday will concentrate on methods for coastal wetlands restoration, hurricane and storm-damage protection and debris waste management in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.
“Our committee has a significant jurisdiction over the environmental issues as well as some of the public works issues,” Cardin told The Examiner Friday. “And we’ll see how our committee can help.”
Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, said he arranged to tour New Orleans with several committee members Sunday. “I want to see first hand what is happening on the ground,” Cardin said. “I want to talk to the people whos have been affected and I want to see exactly what the state, federal and local governments have been doing.” The senator said the government is likely not doing enough.
As part of the tour, Cardin said he and his colleagues will meet with church groups with connections to Maryland churches. Cardin hopes to get a sense of the situation for low-income residents.
“They have no other places to go,” Cardin said, “and they are waiting on government to provide essential services.”
This will be Cardin’s first trip to New Orleans since the hurricanes.
“I’ve heard from other people who have been … that until you’ve been there, you don’t realize the extent of the damage and the neglect of the government to rebuild and help the people who were devastated by Katrina,” Cardin said.
The committee is also scheduled to take an aerial tour of the city, Cardin said.
– Daniel Fowler
